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Understanding The Twin Forces of Buying

The pain and pleasure principle is universal. It steers us in everything we do whether we are consciously aware of it or not. The principle states that people are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Pleasure and pain are the two controlling forces in all human behavior. Thus for salespeople understanding this principle is like cracking the code to the psychology of consumer buying.

From my academic research, reading over 4200 books on topics such as the psychology of winning, axiology, epistemology, success principles of high achievers, universal laws of success, business growth, marketing and sales. Coupled with my 24 years of practical experience in small business, I believe that the majority of prospects avoid pain more often than they desire to gain pleasure. One of the main reasons for this is because it is a biological survival mechanism built into our nervous system. For example, physical pain will cause people to quickly withdraw from what they interpret to be the source of their pain.

Logically, we understand the difference between physical and emotional pain but the human mind at times is challenged when distinguishing real pain from the perceived pain. The majority of people actually respond to pain in precisely the same way.

Another reason why people feel the need to avoid pain compared to their desire to gain pleasure is fear. Fear stops you from gaining more pleasure and achieving all the things you desire in Life? This is really no surprise; we now live in a fearful society.

Another way at looking at this principle is to look at what people move towards or away from. For example, some people are motivated towards goals, while others are motivated away from non-goals. towards or away from reveals how people respond to their world. Understanding this concept dramatically changes how people behave.

There is enough research to suggest that all human behavior can be traced back to “two distinct forces.” The desire to gain pleasure and the need to avoid pain. In order to use this principle to your advantage as a Super Star salesperson, you will need to link or associate not buying your product or service more long-term pain, than actually buying it. For example, if a prospect has just been taken through your price presentation, and then mentions that he/she needs to “think about it,” even though it seemed through verbal and non verbal signs that he/she was going to move forward with the purchase; it is your job to get him/her to face the consequence of not buying and motivate him/her towards being proactive and doing something about it now!

Whilst maintaining rapport, educate him/her on the enormous benefits of your product or service (pleasure component) and the long-term implications of not purchasing your product or service (pain component.)

The pain and pleasure principle is the commanding motivator in human behavior. Understanding this principle will allow you to recognize why prospects are actually buying your products and services. The best marketing companies in the world know how this principle works. They associate massive pleasure to buying their products and pain to not buying them or to using their competitor’s products. It’s an incredibly powerful tool and it works every time. As a Super Star salesperson you must understand at all times that people don’t buy needs; they buy “wants.”

Ti any & Co one of the world’s premier Jewelers since the mid 1800s don’t get people to spend tens of thousands of dollars everyday because it is logical or rational. No one needs to be wearing a bracelet or necklace worth $50,000. The people that do spent this type of money on Tiffany Jewelry want to be able to “feel” a certain way. Their decision is emotionally based. The advertising industry has mastered the process of linking products and services with emotions, because that is what sells and keeps their clients paying them ridiculous amounts of money year after year. Remember, wants are emotional, not logical or rational. Clients buy emotional wants, not just the tangible product or service.

When a prospect is being taken through your sales process and is contemplating purchasing your product or service, remember he or she is not really buying the actual product or service. They are buying the benefits and the emotions they will experience as a result of using your products and services.

A Super Star Closer is constantly uncovering the prospect’s emotional wants. They know that humans do much more to avoid pain than gain pleasure. As a key person in increasing sales for your small business, you must be able to sell both types of consequences; the pleasure if a prospect buys and the pain if they don’t. Therefore it is important to have some elements of pain in your entire sales presentation.

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Frank Smarrelli Co-Founder of Marketing For Gyms and Personal Trainers

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